Alex Davis has his mind set on returning to the SCHSL Class AAAA playoffs after a 6-5 season last year, but he knows plenty of hard work is ahead of him and his teammates.

To that end, Davis can be found on Bluffton High’s athletic fields during night practices taking snaps and helping teammates get into position as he continues to mold himself into a knowledgeable field general.

Bluffton Today caught up with Davis at a recent practice for a short question-and-answer session about the upcoming season.

Bluffton Today: Hi, Alex. Thank you for taking a minute to speak with me about the upcoming season.

Alex Davis: Hey man, it’s my pleasure. Thanks.

BT: So, football is back. How did you prepare for this during the offseason?

Davis: We weight trained all the time, both offense and defense. Now, we’ll come out here and work for an hour and a half every day, and we’ll do sprints after practice. It’s good for us in the long term and hopefully we’ll be ready come Aug. 22.

BT: Aug. 22 is your season opener at home against Battery Creek. What about that day are you looking forward to?

Davis: Playing the game, just playing the game. We’re so looking forward to getting back out there.

BT: This is your second year taking snaps at in the starting quarterback role. What’s different this time around compared to last year?

Davis: Comfortability, for sure. I feel a lot more comfortable now knowing what I’m expected to do. Last year I didn’t really have any idea how fast the pace was or how big the people were having come up from JV, but now having a feel for how everything works, I’ve prepared for it and I think we’ll have a great season this year.

BT: Your position is a leadership position by its very nature. Does leading come naturally for you, or is it something you’ve learned along the way?

Davis: Both. I think being a quarterback does have leadership qualities naturally in the posiition. You have to know all the positions and how they all work, and everybody is looking to you to know the play and know what’s going on. Anybody can be a leader out here and contribute, though, especially the seniors.

BT: What’s different about the team this year? What should we be looking for?

Davis: Our strength, for sure. We’re a lot stronger than we were last year, but I also think we might be a little smaller that last year, too. We’ve been practicing a lot more and have been getting a lot healthier. We’re trying to avoid cramps, strains, pulls or anything else out there.

BT:

Last year was a bit different for the team with a 6-5 record and some injuries throughout the team. Have you and the team been doing anything differently this time around to avoid those situations?

Davis: Yeah, we had a couple of injuries last year to guys like Shameik (Blackshear) and K.J. (Ford), and those were some big defensive line players, so that hurt us a bit. We need to keep stretching better and just overall prepare ourselves better and I think we’ll do just fine this year.

BT: One final question for you, Alex. What’s the vibe within the team right now, before the season starts?

Davis: Excitement. There’s a lot of excitement. Most of the people who played last year were starters as well, so we got familiar with each other quite a bit. We’ll be able to read each other’s minds and make some great plays, and I think it’s just going to be very exciting this year.

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